The Ethnic Print Media Group (EPMG), which represents more than 1,200 Black, Hispanic and Asian newspapers around the country, have introduced Gabrielle Austin as their new president.

Austin brings nearly 25 years of experience of promotional advertising, marketing and print media management to EPMG, which was founded six years in San Diego and represents a network of more than 1,200 Black, Hispanic and Asian newspapers including the Los Angeles Sentinel and La Opinion

Speaking from her home in Atlanta, where she will continue to work, she was thrilled to step into this new role as well as offered praise for her new employer.

“EPMG is a great organization that has made huge inroads into general markets for the multicultural consumer and multicultural newspaper publishers,” Austin said, “My intent is to continue to enhance that [vision].”

EPMG C.E.O. Trevor Hansen said that he had been pursuing Austin for several years and was pleased to add her to the company, calling her a “well-respected, dynamic professional with great ethics and principle.”

“She brings a level of passion and commitment that raises everyone’s game around her,” Hansen said.

In her new position, which will oversee new business growth and corporate development, Austin is perhaps the most important presence for the multicultural newspaper industry. With advertising being a concern for newspapers around the country losing revenue, her role is crucial in keeping the ethnic press financially stable during trying times in this economy.

But more importantly, she plans to re-educate retailers about the viability and vitality of the multicultural consumer,” which they still consider the minority consumer.

According to Austin, 310 counties around the nation have a majority non-White population and with them being the major consumers in today’s market, companies need to extend the invitation to publishers to advertise in Black, Asian and Latino papers.

In her words, her job will be to “show them that the universal color is green” while making them aware of “the phenomenal buying power of the multicultural market.”

As president of Strategic Print Marketing for the Newspaper Services of America, where she worked for the past 10 years, she was responsible for signing accounts with companies such as Home Depot, Toys R’ Us and Bed Bath & Beyond.

Through the account, Home Depot, one of the top advertisers in the Black press, has generated millions of dollars in revenue as the company’s commitment has increased each year.

“That’s just the start,” she said, “I am committed to having that happen with a number of other major retailers because they need to be in our publications. It is our people that are shopping in these stores.”

She revealed that she just opened an account with Value City, a department store chain east of the Mississippi that will create revenue for Black papers in the area.

Her career began with Essence Magazine, where she served as the director of the Mid-West Division. She also held advertising management positions with several papers, including the Miami Herald and Des Moines Register.

An avid supporter of the Black press, Austin’s work earned the “Chairman’s Award” at the recent National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Awards. She has also been honored by several organizations, including the Black Women’s Hall of Fame and Essence Magazine.